After a severe highway collision landed me in the hospital with both legs completely immobilized, I believed the worst part was over. I was wrong. Three days had passed beneath the harsh hospital lights — three endless days trapped on a stiff mattress, both legs locked in heavy casts.
I couldn’t even turn without help.
Every small movement sent sharp reminders of how fragile my body had become. But nothing — absolutely nothing — prepared me for what happened next.
“James,” my father said firmly, voice echoing against the sterile walls, “your sister’s ceremony is in two weeks. You will be there.”
For a moment, I thought I misheard him.
I blinked slowly.
“Dad… I literally cannot move. My legs are in casts. I can’t sit, stand, or walk.”
He crossed his arms, his expression hardening.
“Don’t start with your usual excuses.
You are not going to skip an important family event just because of… this.”
My pulse quickened. He didn’t even acknowledge what had happened to me.
Not one word asking if I was in pain. Not one glance at the medical equipment surrounding me.
My mother stood quietly beside him, clutching her handbag tightly, saying nothing.
I tried one more time, voice shaking. “Even if I wanted to go, the medical team won’t release me. It’s not possible.”
My father’s voice grew sharper.
“You always find a way to avoid responsibility.
This time, you’re not getting away with it.”
A chill ran through me. I felt smaller than I had in years.
His voice rose, filling the room with fury. “You’ve always been selfish.
This is your sister’s big day.
You’re not going to embarrass this family by sitting in a hospital bed!”
Fear crawled up my spine. “Dad, please—stop. I can’t.”
Suddenly, he leaned over me, his shadow falling across my face.
“If I have to drag you there myself, I will.
Don’t test me, James.”
My heart pounded wildly. I felt trapped, like prey cornered by its predator.
“No! Please!” I screamed, my voice cracking from panic.
The machines beeped faster beside me as my breathing grew frantic.
And then—my mother stepped forward. She did something I never could have predicted, something that changed the entire course of what happened next…
My mother’s voice cut through the tense air like a blade. “Richard, enough!” she shouted, startling even the nurses passing by the hallway.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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